Crowned with Beauty Winner + Special Offer

What a great giveaway to kick off my entry back into shop features, and the holiday season! Thanks to everyone who participated, especially those who have already made purchases from Aimee at Crowned with Beauty.

The winner of the lid + straw set for use with mason jar is…

Jenny!

The winner was chosen via Rafflecopter. Jenny has been emailed and has 48 hours to reply and claim the prize. Unclaimed prizes will be rewarded to an alternate, which will not be announced via blog post.

BUT WAIT, there's more!

Any purchases made from Crowned with Beauty between now and December 1st, 2013 is eligible to receive a free hand made ornament. All you have to do is mention Breaking New Ground and the ornament will be added to your order! Be sure to check back in to Aimee's shop to see all the lovely things she's added just in time for the holiday season!

Check back in here for more updates from us as well as additional features and giveaway in the coming weeks. If you peruse the internet via a reader, consider following Breaking New Ground's feed by clicking HERE or this handy dandy button to follow with feedly

Crowned with Beauty: Feature, Review, and GIVEAWAY!

It is with great anticipation that I introduce you to my good friend Aimee and her new to the internet shop, Crowned with Beauty. Take a few moments to read through and get to know Aimee and enjoy growing through her gorgeous handmade items. 

Where are you located + are you from there originally? 
I live in Eugene, Oregon with my family. My husband and I met here when we were in college. Some mutual friends of ours thought we would be good for each other so they introduced us. Both our families also live in the Northwest.

How did you come up with your shop name? 

I love making and filling my home with beautiful things. I also try to appreciate the beautiful things of life in all their forms. In the Bible, Isaiah chapter 61 talks about being bestowed with a crown of beauty to replace ashes. I think most women like the thought of that!

I decided to start the shop after I made a collection of mason jar drinking lids. I wanted to have special glasses that I could offer beverages in whenever I have guests over!

How long have you had your shop? 

I have been developing my shop for several months and I finally launched it in August. I have been really picky about what products I sell. There were a few items that I experimented with but ultimately decided not to offer. I want to make sure that every item listed is something that I personally love and recommend to others.

What inspires you? 

I am often inspired to make special memories with the people that I care about. I enjoy creating a lovely environment that reflects the moment or celebration. 

What are some of your favorite shop items?

My favorite item in my shop is the teal, hanging mason jar set. I think they are a great accent color and the hanging lid makes them much more versatile. Right now I am looking for a place to hang them in my kitchen so I can fill them with a number of items like pens and plastic forks. I also have one sitting on the counter in my bathroom.

Do you have any other jobs or hobbies? 

My full time job is raising my two kids. Titus is five and Eden is two. I also volunteer in the children's ministry at my church. My shop is the closest thing I have to a hobby. :)

What do you hope your future holds?

Grace for each new day and peace for all of life's uncertainties.

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Shandell's Review

I've been friends with Aimee for quite a few years now. I've seen her put her crafting talents to use in her home, in throwing parties for her kids and baby showers for friends, and in gift giving. It made perfect sense to me when I found out she opened a shop of her handmade items. 

Last month she brought me a generous sampling of her lovely creations for me to try out. I really enjoyed putting them around my home. 

First thing I did was put the Mason Jar Drinking Lid and Straw to use. I love the teal color and it fits both small and large jars that I had on hand. I love using a straw as it helps me drink more water throughout the day. I've used it nearly every day since. And, it's dishwasher safe! She also sells them with jars in case you want to buy the complete drinking jar, or multiples!

I haven't put anything on my dining room table for over a year. My boys are finally old enough to leave things alone even though they are in reach.  I decided to put the set of 3 beautifully painted Mason Jar Candle Holders out on the table. First of all, I really love the red one because it ties in with my kitchen and dining decor. Second, they are the perfect shades for fall, the holidays, or any time at all. I put small battery powered tea lights in them for a lovely glow in the evenings. 

Another perfect item for fall is the Mason Jar Felt Cozy. I'd never though to use jars for coffee or tea, but this little felt cozy made drinking something of any temperature a delight in a medium sized jar. I used it for hot coffee, tea, and even iced water. It kept my hands warm without being too hot with the warm drinks and it kept the jar from sweating with the iced water. Plus it's absolutely adorable with the perfect little leaf and rich colors. 

Last, but not least she gave me a Quilted Mason Jar Candle Holder with hanging lantern lid . I added another little tealight and hung it in our entry way. It gives off a very pretty glow and the hanging chain makes it very versatile. I could see snagging quite a few of these and hanging them for outdoor entertaining. I could easily swap out the twine on the colored jars and add the lid to them if I'd like to hang them at some point. I love that her products can be used interchangeably! 

Aimee certainly has an eye for color and a talent for creating aesthetically pleasing decor. I really enjoy having little pieces of her shop in our home, adding a little warmth and beauty throughout. I'm not looking around at her shop and thinking of what members of my family might like most for Christmas gifts!

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GIVEAWAY

Aimee of Crowned with Beauty is giving readers of Breaking New Ground a chance to win a lid and straw set. See the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway begins on Friday November 8th, 2013 will end by Wednesday November 13th, 2013 12:00am PT. Contest open to US residents only. 

A winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter, the winner will be announced on Thursday November 14th, 2013 and notified by email. Additional deals from purchases through Crowned with Beauty will be available once announced with the giveaway winner. 

Be sure to come back to check for the winner annoucement to see if you won AND to take advantage of a deal at Crowned with Beauty exclusively for readers of Breaking New Ground. 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. All opinions are my own.This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.  Click for additional disclosures and PR policies.

Celebrating Fall

We've done a lot of things over the last couple months to celebrate the season.

In September we went out to Johnson Brothers Greenhouses nearby for a harvest event. They had cider and cookies and a free flower potting station for kids. 

When we arrived we realized we didn't have Desmond's shoes. We both assumed that they were in the car because he typically takes them off as we are going somewhere we've given up on putting them on until we arrive to our destination. So we just doubled up on the socks and carried him half the time, he didn't seem to even notice.

The boys loved digging in the dirt, picking out flowers and planting them. They especially loved watering them with the piggie watering can. The gal that helped them through it was great with kids. We browsed a bit and headed on our way to warm up. The boys were very proud to display their creations out front.

We get a LOT of leaves at our house, from the very beginning of fall and into the winter. The orange and yellow leaves are thanks to our giant maple tree out front. It dumped two times what you see covering our yard and driveway in the pics below. The boys really enjoyed playing in them, and thankfully Ben was able to get the majority off the yard before the rain made them soggy.

We have a lot of leaves in our backyard too from several small trees. Kai loves to help rake them up with Ben. There is another gigantic tree just waiting until we get all these leaves up to make it's contribution. 

There have been a handful of sunny afternoons, warm enough to head to the park. I love watching these two play together, such little buds. 

More recently we made a visit to one of the farms down the street from us to pick up pumpkins. Unfortunately the whole experience of riding the wagon out to the pumpkin patch and picking a pumpkin is too expensive for us. Thankfully our kids don't yet know what they are missing. They are totally thrilled walking up to the pumpkins on display at the store front and we are just as pleased to use free pumpkin vouchers we received from our mortgage advisor's office.

After getting pumpkins we stopped at a park on the way home and enjoyed a few more moments of sun. Then the boys colored them (we don't carve yet!) and set them out front for display. 

Last Wednesday we stopped at the other farm down the street for their last day before closing until spring. They have a play ground and goats, so the boys thoroughly enjoyed playing there. Thankfully it was nice and sunny, and not too cold.

For Halloween we didn't really have much planned for costumes, I couldn't get the boys to commit to anything so I didn't make or buy costumes. At the last minute I convinced Desmond to wear Kai's old Batman PJ's with the cape for his costume, and Malakai wore this awesome spider shirt that Grandma Debbie had made him. It was NOT a costume though, he was NOT spider man. Just Kai, in a spider shirt. He was very serious about that.

Ben and I didn't do costumes, but he did wear a Batman T-shirt to match Des, which rendered him the nickname, "Batdad" at the Harvest party that night. Our church puts together a HUGE harvest festival for the community out at Camp Harlow (which is a ministry that they run). There were tons of games to earn candy in several different buildings, plus a petting zoo with a lemur, bunnies, a wallaby, tortoise and snakes. Des feels the same as mama when it came to the snakes.

We are planning as long as we can to take our kids to the Harvest party and avoid the door-to-door trick or treating trend.

I'm so thankful we made the extra effort to get out and enjoy the fall weather before it turned into the rainy cold mess that it is here in the winter, which is surely just around the corner!

COMING UP!....

hey people,

I just wanted to give you a heads up that coming soon, I will be reinstating features, reviews, and best of all...giveaways!

 I have some super talented friends, it truly blows me away that I'm surrounded by so many creative minds. I want to share their work with you, so we'll be partnering to do just that here in the coming weeks. Check back here often because I haven't even determined the dates yet, so it could happen suddenly tomorrow, or possibly next week. 

Head on over to my the Features + Giveaways page here to get a sneak peek at the upcoming features and you'll for sure be back once you get a glimpse at the amazing offerings these gals will have up for grabs!

Happy Weekend!

and now to compare...

I love comparing my boys, mostly in looks. I try not to compare them to each other developmentally, but I can't help but look back at photos of Kai when he was Desmond's age.

Here are some comparison photos of them on their 2nd birthdays, wearing the same shirt thanks to daddy :)

<<< Malakai + Desmond >>>

People are always saying they look like twins, or those who knew Kai at a younger age are marveling at how Desmond looks like he did. While I think they have similarities, I mostly see their differences. I can definitely see more of Ben in Malakai and more of me in Desmond. While my husband's genes are strong and also pretty prevalent in Desmond, Des has my nose and dimples and strongly resembles the men on my side of the family when they were boys. Kai just has my chin dimple, much cuter on him than me!

Watching these boys grow is such a joy!